Fall into Winter

Hi Megs,
We are now moving into winter with our first very slight snowfall and the Santa Claus Parade of Lights is tonight in Yarmouth. So, guess Christmas is almost here. I have to catch up a little with the blog!

Time goes so fast - really Crazy. September was particularly busy. I went to the Rug Hooking Guild of NS Rug School in Cornwallis. I took Fine Shaded Flowers. It was a challenge but I did like it. My friend, Bette Wrathal was the teacher so that was a treat. I really like her and she is a great teacher. This is the result of my efforts so far. Bette designed the mat - it is called Julia Ruth after one of her granddaughters. She names all her rugs for her many granddaughters.
To add to it all, we also took our rug hooking shop from Hands on Crafts to Rug School and did very well. We were a popular shop because we had lots of wool thanks to my Rug Hooking partner Pam MacIsaac-Adams but we also had yarns, beads, buttons and all kinds of funny things that people liked. I think we will do it again next. Year. The picture is of Doris Cooke in our shop. Poor Doris and Pam had to staff the shop while I had fun at rug school. I relieved them when I had time.

We had a great class - Bette is in the middle with the beautiful white hair. She is waring a vest she made with rug hooked flowers on it. She really is great and I really had a good time. A whole week of hooking with really interesting women and a few brave me. Know it sounds crazy but it was so relaxing and refreshing!

After Rug School we had our 3rd Annual Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Craft Splash - it was very successful! We had over 1200 participants who took part directly and many more who were observers. We kicked things off with a Sheep to Shawl (modified because we couldn't really sheer the sheep in the winter - and our token sheep was a male!) But we cut the roving with the Town Crier in attendance - beautiful fall day at the Yarmouth Light. Romulus behaved nicely and we had lots of locals and tourists looking on.

We asked everyone to make a 6"X6" square from natural hand spun yarn - (all us spinners supplied the wool) and this was the result! We expected to make a shawl that was 3 squares by 15 squares - or 45, but we got 80 so the "shawl" is now a throw that is 5 X 16 squares. It is just wonderful and cosy. We auctioned it off at our "almost" closing event - a Mad Hatters Tea Party and Michael and Francis Morris won it. It is really nice.

During the Craft Splash there was an amazing quilt show at the church. When you walked in the colours, the images, the quilts just took your break away! I may try to design a rug of the quilt show.


In October I attended a symposium in Amherst Nova Scotia with Dianne Fitzpatrick. She is an extremely talented hooker who is very well known. She has published books and is a regular contributor to Rug Hooking Magazine. Her work is amazing. She is originally from Newfoundland and her work reflects this. Again, it was refreshing. I am trying to do more interesting things and this symposium gave a lot of inspiration. There were rug hookers, knitters, spinners, doll makers. We all got to sit and do our thing while we listened to and talked with very interesting speakers who were artisans and artists. Really neat and me a lot of interesting people. The picture is of Dianne with one of her rugs in the background.

Doris Eaton was also there. She is another amazing hooker, teacher and designer - the "grand dame" of hooking in Nova Scotia. Next year Dianna and Doris are combining to do a course on "blank burlap" hooking - hooking directly from your mind to burlap. I would love to go but - it is expensive! We will see. Below is a rug done by Doris.


Since I last blogged I have published two issues of The Loop since I last wrote, the September and November ones. I had a great cover for the September.

I am also now editing and publishing the Newsletter for the Nova Scotia Association of Garden Clubs called the Scotia Gardener. It is only 6 pages where the magazine - The Loop - is over 30 pages. I do like doing it and I get to "talk" (sometimes vie e-mail) to a lot of interesting people.

We had a great hook-in with the hookers from the valley.
They were doing very interesting things. We then did a two-week course with Germaine James. I am still working on the Jones house in Sedalia. It is coming along very well - but am learning as I go to do this - picture to rug thing. It is like painting with wool and it is a challenge. king on the Jones Farm. It is coming along.
My last travel for the fall was to Ottawa to the board meeting for the Forum for Young Canadians and also visited with old friends. Went shopping with Pat - got some new pants that I needed - and really enjoyed it. Always fun running around with Pat, and seeing my old buddies.






Now my "wings" have been clipped from all this running around because I broke my leg. It is a long story but to say that I have time to work of all the stuff that is accumulating as "projects" and not finished. I am making progress but find it very frustrating.

Really looking forward to everyone being home at Christmas but don't expect much. I don't get my walking cast until Dec 16th and can't drive and am currently hobbling around on crutches and a walker. Not very dignified and very slow. I don't like slow!

Take care, loved your pictures of Argentina. Reminded me of Brazil. South America is really beautiful.

Hope Rushka is being a good dog. Give her a hug for me.

Love ya,
Mom
XXXXXOOOOPPP

What a summer!

Hi Megs,
Wow - what a summer. It has been nuts - but fun. Lots of knitting and rug hooking and.....
I will start with the last things I have done since I last posted while we wait for post-tropical storm (whatever that means) Hanna to blow over us. It has already started to rain.

I am proud that I crossed the finish line of the Ravelympics. I cast on during the opening ceremonies (August 8) and finished my project at 11:59pm Saturday, August 16. I knitted a lace shawl with very fine lace weight Marino wool. The pattern is Luminaria by Elizabeth Freeman from Knitty, Spring 08. It really came out well but my fingers got very sore. Had to take aspirin (they guys at Rotary asked if I had to take a "doping" test!).



It has clear glass seed beads knitted in throughout - they shine in the light. Proud of it and also at how fast I did it. Stan was out of town - in France - so I could just knit!



We just had our Friends from Louisiana visit - they "evacuated" from the Southern part where Gustav was hitting. This was the return visit for the Rotary Friendship Exchange we went on in June. We had a very nice visit.

In August we had the Western Nova Scotia Exhibition. I did very well. Won Knitting Best-in-Show for my Hanami and (get this!) Best-in-Show for Crocheting for the crochet/felted ruck sack I made from Noro. AND I won Best-in-Show for my sugar cookies! I think that they were made in the shape of lobsters helped win the day.

Every piece of knitting I took won first - a little hat (pink one with buttons), the Noro strip scarf. My rug hooked frog purse won first in purses. So did very well. My rug hooking didn't do as well but was happy that we had LOTS of mats to compete. Pam, my business partner at Hands on Crafts won Best of Show with a beautiful flower mat she designed.



































A photograph I took of a Day Lily in the garden - by the big rock won 2nd place in the photography. I am proud of this because I was up against really great photographers here in Yarmouth.So - a very successful EX. Next year I am going to get ALL the members of our knitting guild to enter so there will be a LOT of competition. It is more fun that way.

I have been knitting rabbits - lots of rabbits. I have another Russel, a Dudley (my sister's will know why I named him Dudley) and a Veronica (a ballerina). Russel won best "doll" at the Ex.




















I have also been very busy at Hands on Crafts We are doing very well selling our Rug hooking Supplies, knitting, books, cutters, all kinds of things. Having fun with this.

So - the summer has gone, into fall. Happy 2nd Anniversary on Tuesday 9/9/08! Next year you will be 9/9/09! I am getting ready to go to RHGNS Rug School in Cornwallis Park on Sept. 15th. I am taking Fine Shaded Flowers with Bette Wrathall. We are taking our hooking supplies and Doris and Pam are going to staff the store - so another busy month.

Take care - OH! Your brother is now a home owner! He and Laurie bought a condo in downtown Toronto. Moving in in mid October. They are very excited - good on them! Hockey season (MJAHL) has also started - last night was an exhibition game. Fall/Winter has started!

Love ya,
Mom
XXXXXXOOOOOPPPPPPP

Home from Missouri

Hi Megs

I am now home from Missouri visiting mother, sisters, nieces, nephews, in-laws, great nieces and nephews - Joneses and Places - had a great time and it was wonderful being able to see so many family members.

Your grandmother is very well and LOVES the socks you made for her. She wears them "out" when she goes down to eat or if she has visitors - she has a lot of visitors! There was a 50 year Lee's Summit High School reunion (brother Jack's class) and she was the "bell of the ball" - so says the Lee's Summit paper! Not bad for an over 90.
I also took her the Place/Jones family mat, I called it "Mother's Mat" and she really likes it. I explained who everyone was - she put it on the floor (I really like mats on the floor where they belong) and everyone who comes she explains who everyone is - including Rushka and Carrie.


She particularly liked Jack on the "Silver Streak" - she had forgotten about that old bike we all used - but we never will!

I went to Evan's first birthday (that is the Murray "Evan") in Kansas City and it was a grand time. Got to see Sarah and Sean, Sally and Mike and other Jones cousins, friends and Sean's parents.

Evan was given his first birthday cake - had never eaten cake before.


His eyes bugged out the first time he tasted SUGAR! He is so cute and lively, was getting ready to walk but has now walked.

As a gift I made "Russell". Russell was welcomed into the Murray home. I made him from the NorNoro wool and angora blend I bought in Columbia when we went to Anne's wedding. The sweater is made from some hand spun I picked up in Amherst, NS, and Dianne Fitzpatrick's studio. Russel is so soft. The Pattern is "Small rabbit with sweater" (modified to fit the yarn) from Debbie Bliss, Toy Knits. I like Russell.

On Canada Day (July 1) we celebrated in Susan's backyard. All the Place sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, friends were there. It was a challenge for the teenage girl at the Price Chopper to come up with the Canadian Flag but she was so proud of herself - she found it! Meredith, Amelia, Evan (the Burns Evan), and Tate were great fun. They ran around. Amelia was weaving a long stand on her fingers from the tube things that we used to make pot holders from. It was really neat. Very nice Canada Day picnic!

I stayed with Ellen. We did a search for rug hooking and knitting shops. We did find a rug hooking section - a really good one for primitive hooking - in Greenwood - part of a "general" store.

We also went to the shop in Independence - and I did try to get tickets to hear Obama when he spoke in Independence earlier in the day but they were sold out - available from 1 to 4, I got there at 3:30 and they were gone! But we did get some nice yarn. Susan really liked the 3 button shawl I made so I gave her the pattern I worked out and she bought some yarn to make one for the two sisters. Susan showed me her latest projects -YIKES - a very big and really neat
American flag afghan.

You can't see it in the picture but every square has a "relief (k/p)" picture of one of the US states. There blue section has stars and there is also the Liberty Bell. She is going to put it in a school auction to raise money. It is something!



I flew home over the flooding. You could really see it as we went over the Mississippi and Missouri. It was wild. Got bounced in Chicago when United cancelled the flight to Halifax - got home a day late and my luggage arrived 4 days later. But did get home!

Since I have been home I have been busy with the shop. Lots of tourists in Yarmouth getting off the Cat. It has been lively on Main Street. Pam M-A and I set up our shop at the Spring Fling (a hook-in in Yarmouth put on by the Rugg Bees). We did very well and I think our shop was appreciated - from the comments we received. I think I am a budding entrepreneur.






Dad loved his book and his Cardinal BBQ cover! But the Nova Scotia wind has done some damage. It has been patched with duck tape. It is a feature on the deck and can be seen when you turn up Session Hill - over the lake - on the way home! We will never get lost.

Hope all is well with you'll. Don't work too hard - it is summer. I see that San Francisco is very dry and Dad checks your temperature every day on his new IPhone. Getting it was an adventure!

Love ya,

Mom
XXXXXXXOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP

Noro Striped Striped Scarf

Hi Megs

I finished the Noro striped, striped scarf. I made it from Kureyon colourways #207 and #164. Think it turned out really nice - used all of 4 skeins but had to do a little patching because Noro has the AWFUL habit (GRRRRRR) of suddenly having a knot and the colour changes dramatically. I had to kind of hunt and paste to get back to the colour flow. It is about 6 1/2 feet long and the colours make it unisex - really nice for everyone and will match anything. It is also nice and soft .


And - what is worse that getting behind a bicycle on the highway?

Getting behind a unicycle!

Yarmouth hosted the First Annual Ride the Lobster 800 km unicycle relay race. It started in Yarmouth as most contestants came over on The Cat. I kept "running" into them. I had to go to Halifax yesterday for a root canal and had to pick up things all over (hoops, hooks, wool) as I worked my way back to Yarmouth. I was going back to Yarmouth as the unicycles were working their way towards Halifax.

My mouth is sore, your father is in Frankfort with a new project with ETS on adult literacy testing, so it is quiet here - or should have been. I had some visitors to the studio (Tin Pot Textiles) which was nice. They liked my work and we had a nice chat except that I also had the Orkin Man here at the same time because we found some ants but he couldn't find any - except the way the mice were getting into the basement (which I fixed with some expanding foam and steel wool) .....interesting afternoon!

Dad really liked his father's day present, your brother is having success playing with the Styrofoam Ones (a group in Toronto - Clay plays the drums) - all is well.

Love ya,

Mom

Knitting Noro

Hi Megs,

I have been on a Noro frenzy these days. I am doing the scarf with stripes - two rows from each of two skeins of Noro. I saw a picture of it on a post and have worked to get it right. I used Kureyon, colours 207 and 164 (browns, greens, purples, orange, & blues). The one I saw I think was made from Silk Garden. I just made up what to do until it looked right. It doesn't look like it but it is ribbed (k1,p1). This way you don't see the loops going over the colours on the purl rows. I slipped the stitches on either side and it hides the carried yarn nicely. I cast on 33 stitches - odd # for the ribbing - (to get about 6 inches). I think it looks nice - so far - but I may get into some colour combinations that are teeth grinding awful - we will see. It does keep me knitting to see what is coming next!


I also am doing the little purses again. I now call them "Colours of Nova Scotia". I gave them as gifts when I went to Louisiana and everyone really liked them. They take about 2 hours to do so nice for an evening project.

I also saw a woman wearing a scarf that had three buttons and a button hole and could be adjusted so I worked on this as well and it also came out nicely. I used 3 strands of Cotton Freedom in a light yellow (#07). It really drapes nicely and it can be warn at 3 different levels or just not buttoned. Really like it.


I cast on 47 stitches and again slipped the last stitch (purlwise) of each row to give it a nice finish on the edges. The buttons are really nice. They are ceramic from Africa. We just got this line in at Hands on Crafts and they are really nice. All kinds of shapes and sizes.

I think the next one of these I make I will only use 2 strands. This one is a little thick but it will be SO nice on a cool evening - like we have around here.

That is what I have been up to. I did join Ravelry (my name is TinPot) and really enjoying it. I have made connections with several Nova Scotia knitters - one with a brother who lives in Yarmouth who I know from Rotary.

I put up my hummingbird feeder on the NEW big kitchen window and now we have constant hummingbird wars outside. Love it! The cardinals are back and always go to the red egg feeder you got me for Christmas. I think they like the colour. It seems each bird has their favourite place to eat. We have the usual invasion of squirrels (always think of Rushka when I see them). I finally just left a feeder for them - they sort of live in the thing - and the other birds just ignore them as you can see in the picture. I have given up the fight. This year we also have real chipmunks who come regularly. They like the wooden platform feeder but have not been fast enough yet to get a picture.


Take care. Will have a nice Father's day on Sunday.

Love you all!

Mom
XXXXXOOOOOPPPPPPP

Spring is here!

Hi Megs

Can't believe it is Spring already - although I got a little taste of summer when we were in Southern Louisiana. Your father and I had a grand time. I took my little purses as our hostess gifts and made some for my friend Irene who went as well, for her hostess gifts. We were on a Rotary Friendship exchange.

We went to New Orleans, Houma, DeRidder, Abbeville and Baton Rouge. The group from Louisiana are visiting us in September. We had a really great time. I loved it all - but found the swamp was just beautiful! We also saw the devastation in New Orleans - really overwhelming! But also flew over the marsh area south of Homua - southwest of New Orleans and saw the damage and loss of wetland.
We also went to a music festival in Lafayette (and a great craft fair), the state houses (old and new) in Baton Rouge, to LSU - walked on the field, went through the "hanging jail" in DeRidder, visited plantations along the Mississippi (Oak Alley, Ashland/Belle-Helen (where Chef KD made us a Cajun meal and cooking lesson - wow!), Homus-House), went to St. Martinville (Acadian monument and wonderful church), a production of Hair at LSU on the 40th anniversary of the play a - just so much to do and see. Most of all we talked and got to know people who live and understand Louisiana.

Thank you for the wonderful book , "Plants and Their Application to Ornamentation" you gave me for mother's day. It is just wonderful and is inspiring. Each flower and how they used it in their designs are really amazing. I also like the muted colours. Great gift. Dad gave me two gifts - a new garden cart - for both of us from Lee Valley Tools and a GPS system for my car so I wouldn't get lost and I can use my phone "hands free" through it (new law in Nova Scotia).

As to knitting and rug hooking - I am working on a lot of stuff but haven't finished much of anything. I have been busy making kits for a beginners rug hooking class, getting stuff stocked for the store, starting projects but not finishing any of them!

We did have some excitement. We had a wind and rain storm in March and when we looked out on Sunday morning the boat shed (with the canoe and kayak in it) was blown off its footings a complete 180 onto the rock wall. Must have been some gust because this shed, made by the students and NSCC Carpentry class - was solid - like a little house! Crazy Crazy.

Doris, Annie and I did have a booth at the Destination Southwest Tourism Expo in Halifax. It was an interesting day but it snowed and snowed so we didn't have many people.

We did visit Fleece Artist in Mineville, outside Dartmouth, when we were in Halifax (Dartmouth is on the other side of the bay). It was amazing. So much wool, so little time! I found visiting the area where they dyed the yarn really interesting. I got some Sea Wool (70% Marino, 30% Seacell), Somoko (65% Marino, 20% Kid, 10% nylon, 5% silk), and Scottish Silk (65% wool, 35% silk) (left to right in the picture). The Sea Wool has a very subtle dye pattern. Creams and grays. I am making the Vine Lace Cardigan from Gathering of Lace with the Sea Wool. This is a "work in progress". All of my things are "works in progress".

We also had a "Mushroom" class - rug hooked mushrooms - with Carol Harvey Clark. She has Spruce Top Rug Hooking and Econo Musee in Mahone Bay. It was a neat class. I made 4 mushrooms that I am going to make into broaches. They are kind of neat - didn't know mushrooms could be so interesting.
This is the group of us - and below are my mushrooms - have to finish them!

The Rugg Bees and Carpetbaggers also hooked a mat to raffle off for the Cancer Centre at the hospital. It is called "Keep on Moving" - the tickets are $2 or $5 for 3. It is a really nice mat, designed by Gayle Deone, on of our members. The tickets are selling very well - we are selling them at Hands on Crafts. We are going to draw in October.

So that is about all I have been doing. They guys are working outside - now that it is dry and warm - putting the boat shed back up.

Hope all is well with you both - and Rushka. We would love to come visit again - maybe in the Fall. We have a busy summer - but come and see us - a trip to NS in the summer.

Love ya,

Mom
XXXXXXOOOOOOPPPPPPP